Our goal was to help protect Israel, Jews and a peaceful future for Palestinians and Israelis by reducing the culture of hate that teaches Palestinian children and others to hate and deny Israel. We provided the leaders with studies demonstrating that ending the culture of hate is not only in Israel's interest but also theirs.

We shared key findings from a poll done for TIP by pollster Stanley Greenberg and carried out by Arabs in the West Bank and Gaza. It showed that 69 percent of West Bank residents surveyed said they believed in a two-state solution. Furthermore, 56 percent said they regretted Yasser Arafat's failure to accept the peace deal offered by President Clinton at Camp David in 2000.

We also shared a report by Palestinian Media Watch showing that Palestinian Authority leaders' statements, official media, children's programs and events undermine peace for both sides. To their own people, in Arabic, Palestinian Authority leaders and others continue to deny Israel's existence and glorify terror.

The responses to these studies and comments by the two key Palestinian leaders were enlightening.

Fayyad, who is highly regarded by many Israeli and American leaders for his commitment to a two-state solution, his focus on improving security for all and for improving the quality of life of the Palestinian people, seemed pleased by the poll numbers. He indicated that he was disturbed by the report on the culture of hate and expressed interest in doing things differently.

"We need to defeat rejectionism," he told us, by creating facts on the ground that make daily life better under moderate leadership than under Hamas. In Ramallah, we saw such examples: significant construction, beautiful restaurants and shops, new roads and more.

Fayyad explained that in his vision of a Palestinian state, Jews and others would be welcome to become citizens and visit holy sites. However, Fayyad is not a part of the negotiating team because he is not a member of the Fatah Party and there is political friction between him and Fatah.

Our TIP contingent then met with Saeb Erekat, who heads the Palestinian negotiating team and is a member of Fatah. We shared the same poll numbers and Palestinian Media Watch report with him. I told him that I had heard personally from Sandy Berger, who was part of President Clinton's negotiating team, and others that when Arafat was offered a Palestinian state at Camp David and Taba, he refused because he was concerned that his own people would kill him.

Why would official Palestinian media and textbooks create a situation that would put their own leaders in danger for doing what is in their own best interest?

"What can be done to prepare for peace?" I asked Erekat. His answer: "We will educate for peace when there is peace."

This is a recipe for disaster.

We saw what happened when Israel withdrew from Gaza with hopes of peace, but Palestinians there had not been prepared for peace. As a result, Hamas took over by a combination of the ballot box and force. Israeli civilians sustained a barrage of thousands of rockets and missiles, and innocent lives on both sides were lost.

The Palestinian Authority has made some progress combating the culture of hate. School textbooks no longer demonize Jews to the same extent. However, they still do not recognize Israel on their maps or pages. Some 12th-grade textbooks devote several pages to extolling "ribat," which is similar to "jihad," holy war.

While Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has urged direct talks immediately without preconditions, the Palestinians still refuse face-to-face talks. Erekat told us that he is concerned about going to negotiations without knowing there will be a successful outcome.

"If we can't produce the 'white smoke,' " he said, alluding to the process where cardinals pick a pope, "we should not raise expectations."

A large majority of Palestinian people favor a two-state solution, yet do not recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. Israel's security demands that Palestinians look for a permanent end of conflict, not a temporary solution as a staging ground to destroy Israel.

World leaders, led by President Obama, must continue to encourage Palestinian leadership to foster a culture of hope, not hate. Only then will there be lasting peace for both Palestinians and Israelis.

Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi is the founder and president of The Israel Project, a nonprofit organization that educates about Israel and the Middle East.